: Email the Neumann Berlin Service Department with your serial number. They can typically provide the original shipment date and the distributor it was sent to, which serves as a proxy for the manufacture date.

If a U87 Ai is selling for half of its typical market value, it is almost certainly a counterfeit.

For microphones produced after 2012, Neumann introduced an advanced security label system to combat counterfeiting. Look for a on the packaging. This sticker contains a Unique ID and a QR Code .

"Serial number checks out," Elias said.

Before you can run a check, you must locate the serial number on the physical hardware. The location varies depending on the era and model of the microphone. Modern TLM Series ( Go to product viewer dialog for this item. Go to product viewer dialog for this item.